A PURPOSEFUL LIFE
by PokemonLegacy
Summary: A young boy awakens in a strange and dangerous world with no memory of who he is. As the death count rises and the stakes are raised, it is up to him and his companions to free everyone from the shackles of evil. Along the way, he discovers the key to victory will be to learn all he can about who he is and why he was chosen. (Lightly based on the SAO premise as well as Pokemon)


His first thought at the moment his consciousness was activated was that he was definitely alive. He existed.

He knew this because once he managed to pry open his eyelids and everything finalły came into focus, he could see the morning sunshine spilling through the nearby window. He could smell the freshness in the air and hear the subtle whisper of the breeze outside. And most prominently, he could feel the searing headache that was throbbing angrily within his temples.

"Ouch," he croaked aloud as he sat up and gingerly massaged his head.

As his mind continued to awaken and the pain began to subside, the boy quickly became quite alarmed to realize that aside from being aware of his own existence, he had no recollection of anything else. His own voice sounded dry and scratchy but not the least bit familiar. He looked around at the small square of a room. There was nothing but the window, two closed doors and the tiny wood-framed bed he found himself lying in. The bedroom was completely foreign to him, but then again, he really had no memory of ever waking up anywhere else.

He felt his heart begin to quicken its beat, his breathing gaining weight as well. He winced, gritting his teeth, trying desperately to will his brain to jumpstart itself into revealing something, anything. Even the slightest shred of information would have offered comfort. But alas, his mind felt oddly blank as though a great fog had descended inside his head. With no success, he began to panic and jumped out of bed.

The heavy, wool blanket that had been draped over him fell to the floor, and he realized he was completely naked. He was unsure whether or not this was normal, but despite his body feeling clean and unscathed, a sharp chill swept down his spine and, suddenly, he began to yearn for warmth above all else.

His eyes quickly found what he presumed to be a closet door on the other side of the room. Eagerly marching up to it, he turned the knob to reveal a closet full of clothing articles hanging smartly inside. Crisp shirts, pressed trousers and various belts, scarves and jewelry all adorned the rack above two rows of shined and spotless footwear. He felt a bit guilty about rummaging through a stranger's closet, but his dwindling body temperature kept him from stopping.

He hastily reached for the warmest and most comfortable-looking ensemble he could see: a heavy blue knit sweater, grey pants and a pair of brown hiking boots. But he did not get to so much as feel his fingertips touch the fabric before he was suddenly and completely clothed. The sweater, trousers and boots had disappeared from the closet and were now on him, hugging his body like a dear friend.

Stunned, the boy stopped to admire his new, self-applying outfit. His eyes scanned himself up and down before returning their gaze to the closet. He was unsure if he was at all surprised by this seemingly magical clothing or by how perfectly everything seemed to fit him. All he knew was that his thirst for warmth had now been quenched, and that felt nice.

As he took one last look inside the closet, however, something caught his eye. In an instant, all the confusion and fear suddenly rushed back to the forefront of his mind. There, hanging on the inside of the door was a small, smudged mirror. He ran up to it and saw a smooth, pink-cheeked face with dark eyes and a tangled mop of ebony hair gawking back at him.

Initially, it was comforting to see that he looked like a normal, healthy-looking teenage boy, even if he was a little on the small side. He hungrily searched his reflection for any hope that his memory would be jogged, but again, to no avail. He did not even recognize his own face.

Shaken by this, the boy abruptly turned away from the mirror. He took a deep, measured breath, and then another, trying to remain calm. With the fear of all that was unknown to him, there was a slight urge to just climb back into bed. Perhaps all of this craziness would just go away if he hid under the covers. But once again, something inside of him seemed to be coaxing him on, pleading its case that he would need to tackle this head on if he truly wanted peace of mind. There had to be an explanation for all this, and it seemed unlikely that the bedroom would reveal any additional answers.

With one more deep breath, he relented, and his boots began to clunk purposefully across the hardwood towards the other door, presumably the exit. Whatever sort of adventure was awaiting him, it was starting now.

He opened the door a crack and peeked his head outside, revealing a long, narrow and seemingly vacant hallway. It felt strange to be lurking in a place he had never been. He felt like a burglar. Unsure of what he would do if he encountered anyone or anything, his desire to know and understand seemed to numb the apprehension. His stride was long and without hesitation until the hallway eventually led to another small, sun-filled room.

Stopping to gauge his surroundings, the boy noticed a dented, off-white icebox in the corner next to a small wooden table. Against the opposite wall, an imposing iron stove sat beside a ceramic wash basin. Aside from the appliances, this room was as deserted and without clues as the bedroom had been.

Again, the boy sighed, slumping his shoulders. He slapped himself in the face once gently, then a second time with a bit more force. His cheeks felt fleshy and real with the sting of recognition that this whole situation was unfortunately not some sort of dream.

Suddenly, almost in unison with the sound of skin striking skin, something on the table caught his eye. He leaned forward and realized there was a rectangle of paper sitting by its lonesome of top of the varnished wood. Anxiously scooping up the sheet of paper, he quickly realized that it was adorned with a series of black-inked symbols inscribed on the back. Although he could not recall ever being told what these characters meant, for some reason, he completely understood them to spell out: JUSTIN.

"Justin," he whispered to himself.

That was it. It was his name. He could not explain it. It was like a beacon cutting through fog. There were no memories returning to him, and he still had no idea who he was beyond the name, but as soon as he heard himself say it, he knew. He was Justin.

Encouraged by this first feeling of anything other than uncertainty, Justin unfolded the paper, revealing a longer series of writing inside.

* * *

 _Dear Justin,_

 _Good morning!_

 _I hope you slept well. It will be necessary to be well-rested as you embark on the amazing quest that awaits you. I am sorry that I could not be there to greet you in person, but allow me to be the first to officially welcome you to our beautiful world._

 _As you will soon discover for yourself, this planet is inhabited by countless species of majestic creatures that we call, Pokèmon._

 _Much like us, Pokèmon exist in all shapes and sizes and possess a wide variety of mysterious powers and abilities. Some, we have domesticated and live with as companions. Others, we simply marvel at in all their glory as they roam the vast lands, swim the deep seas and soar throughout the open skies. Even today, we continue to study them as much as we can, but much remains a mystery._

 _My hope is that as your journey unfolds, you and your comrades are able to experience their beauty and majesty to the very fullest extent and that together, you may conquer all that stands in your way to greatness._

 _With that, I wish you luck. A town hall meeting of sorts is scheduled for later this evening at the stadium during which there will be a very important announcement to be made. Please consider this your formal invitation._

 _Sincerely,_

 _The Professor_

 _P.S._

 _Check your pockets. You'll need her. It's not safe out there. Please be careful, my son._

* * *

Justin read the note three times, his eyes feasting on every character in hopes that any of it would eventually make sense. Pokèmon? Journey? The Professor? The beginning of the letter had sounded quite cheerful, but had turned ominous and vague by the end. By now, however, he had almost given up. It was almost easier to accept it all and not waste energy questioning things. At the very least, he now had a destination.

After perusing the letter a final time, Justin obediently stuffed his hands into his pants pockets. He had not noticed anything inside them earlier, but his stomach fluttered as cool, smooth metal now greeted his fingers. He pulled out a shiny sphere, big enough to be fully encased in his palm. One of the orb's hemispheres was colored red, the other a simple metallic grey with a small button right at the equator. It glinted in the sunlight as he brought it closer to his face.

Curious, Justin pushed the button, and the ball suddenly grew in his hand to over twice its previous size. Startled, he dropped it. With a heavy thud, it bounced off the kitchen floor. Afraid that he had already broken the only useful item he had, Justin grimaced, silently pleading that the orb remain unharmed. Suddenly, there was a great eruption of white light that briefly blinded him along with a loud whooshing sound like wind whistling through a forest. When the light subsided, Justin audibly gasped at what he saw.

Alongside the now split-open metal sphere, a small winged creature with brown and cream colored feathers was staring up at him from the floor like it had just hatched. It chirped happily and stretched its wings. Frozen in place, all Justin could do was stare. Even he knew that a living thing appearing in a flash of light from inside a tiny ball was out of the ordinary.

"Uh, hello there," Justin finally whispered, unsure if the creature could even understand him.

The creature again opened its beak and a chorus of cheerful tweets rang out in reply. It seemed friendly. Still cautious, Justin slowly got down to one knee and reached his finger toward the feathered creature.

All of a sudden, with a few powerful flaps of its wings, it shot up from the floor and flew towards him. With a surprised shriek, Justin flinched, shut his eyes braced himself. The pain of being attacked never came, though, although he felt the surprisingly gentle grasp of its talons on his shoulder.

Justin opened his eyes and saw that the winged animal was now perched harmlessly on his left shoulder, pecking playfully at a loose thread on his sweater. Not knowing what else to do, he just stood there for a few moments, admiring the creature's soft plumage and her energetic movements up close.

"You're one of those Poke... Pokèmon things, aren't you?" Justin asked, holding up the Professor's letter.

Again, he was answered with another series of knowing peeps. He chuckled again and threw up his hands. This was all just so ridiculous. Whatever Pokèmon were, it sure seemed crazy that he was talking to one. And somehow, as the Professor had stated in the letter, this tiny thing was supposed to protect him from whatever was out there?

"You are kind of cute though," Justin admitted, stroking the auburn feathers on its head.

The Pokèmon replied with a proud-sounding chirp of agreement.

"What should I call you? If you're gonna come with me, you'll need a proper name."

The Pokèmon shrugged and began to nip softly at Justin's hair. He laughed. He wasn't sure how useful it would be once they left, but he was glad that at least he was no longer by himself.

"Well, are you a boy or girl?"

A high-pitched tweet seemed to indicate the latter. Racking his brain, Justin predictably could not come up with anything. He wasn't even sure that Pokèmon were supposed to have names. His new feathered friend didn't seem worried though. She had finished fiddling with his hair and was now gliding happily back and forth around the room, singing, apparently pleased just to be free from her container.

"How 'bout I just call you, Happy," he said. "What do you think of that?"

Predictably, the excitable Pokèmon let loose a willing series of cheeps, and that was that. It was Justin and Happy, ready to take on the world together. He still was clueless as to how he had appeared in such a place or what was supposed to happen next, but there was a feeling of exhilaration that seemed to energize him as he gazed out the window at the world at large.

The breeze was warm and gentle, tickling his cheeks. The sky was a vivid, rich shade of blue. Justin turned back to look at the small cottage he and Happy had exited. It was tiny and shabby with its missing shingles and faded wood siding. But Justin could not help but shiver with a feeling of foreboding as he turned and began to walk away.

With Happy fluttering contently in the airspace close by, Justin squinted to see the mass of dark green forestry lining the horizon. Beyond that, stretching higher above, he could see distant profiles of tall buildings. It looked like a city, and from what the Professor's letter had said, Justin assumed this was where he was supposed to go.

Between them and the forest, however, was a vast stretch of rolling green land. He could see the tall grass rippling in the wind. He stopped for a moment to admire the beauty of the nature before him before he continued to march.

"Beautiful day for a walk, don'tcha think, Happy?" he called up to his gliding compatriot.

She sang in agreement, and Justin laughed. His spirits were quite high at the moment. Perhaps it was the warm sunshine or the pleasant company that Happy was revealing herself to be. Whatever it was, Justin's feelings of fear were evolving into those of excitement.

The walk through the long grass towards the forest was quite enjoyable. Justin had seen formations of flyers that looked just like Happy soaring high above them across the sky. She seemed to be fascinated by them, attempting copy the rhythm of their flapping wings. But she never ventured more than a short distance away from him, leaving Justin feeling warm and oddly proud.

"I'm glad you're coming with me," Justin shouted above a gust of wind. "But, are you sure you wouldn't rather be with the others?"

No sooner did the words leave his lips than Happy swooped down and landed on Justin's shoulder. He softly nibbled at his ear again, and the soft feathers against his cheek told him all that he needed to know.

"Well, thanks, Happy," he said with a smile.

As the towering forest got closer and the amount of flat grassland in between got smaller, the midday sun became hidden behind the trees. The shadow that was cast felt cold and eerie. Justin stopped to admire just how imposing the thicket looked. He had sidestepped a couple of large rocks as the tall, lush grass gave way to gravely, gray dirt.

"I think the town is just beyond this forest, Happy," he said, trying to hide any inflection of nervousness in his voice. "You ready?"

Expecting another joyous bout of chirping, Happy instead perched herself quietly on the top of Justin's head and grasped a tuft of his hair with her feet. She seemed alert and focused on the approaching trees. This made Justin feel uneasy, but there was no point in stopping.

It was at that moment that Justin realized something was wrong. With his last stride, his boot came down on something that was not rocky earth. It felt soft, flesh-like. Whatever the thing was, it jumped when Justin stepped on it, causing him to roll his ankle and tumble to the ground.

A sudden sharp pain shot through his ankle, and then he felt another, more severe sting to his thigh. Howling in pain, he grabbed for his leg at the same moment that he noticed Happy zoomed downward towards the ground, looking like a feathery blur.

Numbness quickly overtook Justin's leg, and he felt it quickly begin to spread throughout his entire body. He figured he was hallucinating as well because a thick yellow line appeared in the upper left corner of his line of sight. He blinked, thinking this would clear his sight, but the long, horizontal brick of yellow remained, and the words, "JUSTIN" and "HP," we're floating above it.

Justin did not have much time to dwell on the pain or the strange floating graphics in his vision, however, as Happy's screeching stole his attention. He looked down at the ground in horror. A long, thick, serpent-like creature with purple scales was slithering menacingly side to side only a few feet in front of him. It stood tall on its tail, flexing its wide hood and flashing a mouthful of dagger-like fangs. Buzzing around its face, Happy continued to squawk. Her wings were a blur as she desperately tried pecking and scratching at the serpent's yellow eyes.

"HP" lines appeared above both Pokèmon as well while Justin could only watch in awe. With each peck and scratch, the serpent's red meter shrank slightly. Again, Justin rubbed his eyes. What was happening?

The serpent seemed content to continue to artfully dodge Happy's furious swipes, ducking its hooded head with teeth bared. Its cold, milky eyes were focused on Happy wherever she flapped as she orbited the monster. It began to slowly coil itself lower to the ground. Perhaps, it was starting to relent. Suddenly, though, a wave of panic coursed throughout Justin's body as soon as he realized what the serpent was doing.

"Happy! No!" he screamed, trying to leap up from the ground.

It was too late, though. Like a charged spring, the snake exploded out of its coiled crouch and shot like a whip towards Happy. Its gaping mouth caught her body, and Justin's voice echoed through the forest before him as he watched fangs sink into her back.

With panicked shrieks, Happy's wings waved desperately, trying to escape the monster's grasp. Justin froze. His body was now almost completely numb. He could barely hold himself up on all fours on the gravely floor. The yellow HP line hovering over Happy rapidly shrunk to a tiny sliver before it disappeared entirely, and the serpent finally tossed her lifeless body to the ground.

Justin felt sick at the sight of his feathered friend lying motionless in the rocky dirt. His arms quivered before giving way, and his entire body fell to the ground as well. The snake, having defeated Happy, turned its attention to Justin. His vision was beginning to blur and darken, but peripherally, he noticed his own HP meter slowly shrinking. The serpent lunged and bit him again in the shoulder, and then again in the stomach, each time eliminating chunks of his HP until it had nearly run out just as Happy's had.

Justin was now extremely cold, and his eyelids grew heavy. The serpent struck a final time, latching its daggers around his neck. But there was no more pain. The image of the monster's yellow eyes and purple scales faded in the darkness. He heard a loud, but somehow distant scream, but it did not matter.

Everything turned black.


End file.
